Cement fence-post.



PATENTED NOV. 7, 1905.

A. MOLER.

CEMENT FENCE POST.

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ASA MOLER, OF IOWA CITY, IOWA.

CEMENT FENCE-POST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. '7, 19.5

Application filed August 3, 1905. Serial No. 272,599.

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known'that I, ASA MOLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Iowa City, in the county of Johnson and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Cement Fence-Post, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to provide an improved cement fence-post of simple, durable, and inexpensive construction and of light weight and also to provide improved means for fastening fence wires or rails thereto and also to provide an improved method for constructing cement fence-posts.

My invention consists in the construction of the post and the fastening devices therefor and in the method of constructing same, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in WhiCh Figure 1 shows afront elevation of my improved fence-post with fence-wires and a rail supported thereon. Fig. 2 shows a transverse sectional view of the post on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a vertical sectional view of the upper portion of my improved fencepost, taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows a vertical sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the reference-numeral 10 is used to indicate the body of the fence-post, which is made of a cementitious substance, preferably comprising cement and sand mixed in about the proportions commonly used for articles of this class. In the central portion of the post are a number of longitudinally-arranged cornstalks or other similar light and fibrous articles, which stalks are slightly spaced apart from each other. so that when the post is being formed in a mold the cementitious substance in its plastic state will pass between the various stalks, and thus form when hardened interior braces, as shown in Fig. 2. These stalks do not run to the top of the post, but the said top is formed solid, as shown/in Fig. 3. At one face of the front of the post, which I shall call the front, I insert in the plastic material before it is hardened a number of staple or nail receiving devices, each of which is composed of a number of layers of asbestos paper or similar substance. The plastic material of the post is firmly tamped or pressed around these staple or nail receiving members, and when it hardens they are firmly held and retained in position. They enter the post as far as an ordinary nail or staple is ordinarily driven.

In the accompanying drawings the reference-numeral 11 is used to indicate the cornstalks, and 12 the asbestos sheets. In order to prevent the post from being split when nails or staples are driven into the asbestos portions, I have embedded in the post immediately above each said asbestos portion a metal brace or keeper 13 with its ends turned at right angles and its body portions extending transversely of the post to a point beyond the sides of the asbestos sheets.

In Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings I have used the numeral 14 to indicate a fence-rail held in place by a nail 15, driven into one of'the asbestos holding devices, and I have used the numeral 16 to indicate the fencewires held in place by staples 17, driven into the remaining ones of the asbestos holding devices.

In my method of constructing fence-post, and the like I first arrange a number of cornstalks or similar articles close to each others but having spaces between them. When cornstalks are used for this purpose, the enlarged joints of the stalks engaging each other are suflicient to hold the body portions of the stalks spaced apart about the proper distance. If, however, straight smooth articles were used for this purpose, it might be necessary to provide some means for holding them spaced apart. I then tamp or press a cementitious composition around the stalks and force it to enter in the spaces between the stalks, completely inclosing same. In this way I provide a post which is of extremely light weight, because only the shell anda number of thin webs or layers of cementitious composition are utilized, a large portion of the bulk of the post being composed of cornstalks or the like, which are of light weight and yet serve the purpose of firmly bracing the post and giving it great strength, even before the cementitious substance has hardened. Hence a post made by this method may be handled very soon after it has been formed, because of the strength given to it by the longitudinallyarranged cornstalks. Then aft r it has thoroughly hardened and set and after it has been placed in position for use it is possible that the cornstalks will eventually decay; but when they do they will still leave a strong post, because the cement has been arranged to form cross braces or webs between the spaces that the stalks occupied before they decayed.

IIO

In regard to the means for securing staples or nails to the post, I have discovered that a number of layers of asbestos paper arranged as shown forms an excellent device for this purpose, because asbestos paper will not rot or decay and will not be consumed by fire. By arranging it in layers, as shown, and assuming that staples were used the points of the staples may pass between the layers and force them apart sufficient to admit said points and to firmly hold them after they are in position. If the asbestos were arranged in solid blocks for this purpose, it would not be easy to drive nails or staples into it and would be likely to split or tear when the nails or staples were removed; but by having the asbestos sheets arranged in layers the nails or staples may easily pass between said layers, and

then when once removed they may be easily driven in again at some other point or between other layers.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is

1. An improved post comprising a number of longitudinally-armnged cornstalks and a cementitious composition surrounding the cornstalks and filling the spaces between them.

2. A fence-post comprising a cement body portion and a series of staple or nail receiving devices therein each comprising a series of layers of asbestos paper arranged side by side to receive staples or nails between said layers at the surface of the post where they are exposed, and a brace for each of said staple or nail receiving devices embedded in the post adjacent to said staple or nail receiving device.

ASA MOLER.

WVitnesses:

O. H. FINK, W. H. SWAFFORD. 

